The Pretender V:20
by ZoeMehefin
Summary: Rewrite. Two new additions to the Avenger's lives cause potential mischeif. Trust is important, but who can they trust?
1. Introduction: Authors Note

**So here it is, the rewrite.**

**I've decided that to keep myself motivated I'll publish the chapters as I go, I may eventually fall into a pattern but don't hold me to a schedule.**

**There are several changes you will notice, for example the name of the nurse in the first chapter. I named her after a friend who just so happened to have the last name Foster, and only when I read it again did I realise that I never gave her first name meaning that she could have been accidentally linked to Jane (I don't think anyone would have linked them, but just in case I've changed her name and given her a first name).**

**I'm also going to be a lot more descriptive, meaning this rewrite will be a lot more mature than the original.**

**I hope you all enjoy this, there may even be some minor/major plot changes to keep you all on your toes!**

**-Zoe Mehefin**


	2. Chapter 1: The Hospital Bed

Nurse Caitlin Keeble was in New York when the attack happened. She'd had to work the following days to cope with everyone who had been injured, or those searching for family, and those wanting to help with blood donation. On the 3rd day of constant work she almost fainted, and on the 4th day she actually did. She was forced to take the next month off.

When she eventually returned to work she was given one patient to look after. He'd been in a car accident, wandered out into the road and been hit by a taxi. The driver had left him by the side of the road and no-one paid any attention to him for 3 hours. He'd looked homeless when he first arrived, but it was clear he was a well-educated man and certainly had been treated well in his life. Not that he could remember it. He didn't remember anything about his life, but facts easily came to him and he was the most charismatic man Caitlin had ever met. It was why the person who found him continued to pay for his treatment.

"Hello Mrs Keeble." He said brightly as she entered the room with his breakfast, putting down the book he'd been reading. She recalled giving him a simple children's book a couple of weeks after his arrival to help him relearn and now he was reading Tolkien.

"Hello. How are we feeling today?" Caitlin smiled, pretending that his lack of name was not incredibly uncomfortable and awkward to work around.

"I had the odd dream again, but other than that I am perfectly fine. How are you?"

"Tired; the kids had their first day back at school."

"September already? Aren't you supposed to have got rid of me by now?" The nameless gentleman ran his hand through his dark hair and scratched the back of his head.

"Well we can't just release you into the world without an identity. We've given your information to every police station in the state, and they've passed it on as much as they can. You're lost in the system."

"Couldn't I just…"

The man's idea was interrupted by Dr Laura Thurston entering the room with a small group of students. She was a short woman with brown hair and a borderline unhealthy sun addiction. For a doctor she was not very concerned about skin cancer.

"...and this patient is an interesting case of ours. John Doe here was found in a gutter after being struck by a car. Can anyone tell me why he is still here after 2 months?"

"Because the nurses are pretty and give me baths?" Dr Thurston chuckled. One of the students, a broad shouldered boy with short blonde, raised his hand.

"Yes Chris?"

"Well if the visual evidence was not in front of us, I would suggest coma. But seeing as the patient is clearly not unconscious, I'm inclined to think there was some kind of complication?"

"No, no, Mr Doe here is perfectly healthy. Any other suggestions?"

"He doesn't have an identity." A shorter boy with dark hair suggested.

"Correct Mark. How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Well you called him John Doe, and it came quite naturally. If you just called him that for our benefit it would have sounded more forced."

"Technically not getting there by medical means, but I'll accept it. Mr Doe here is suffering from Amnesia; he can't remember anything before he was struck by the car."

"Actually I remember wandering about for a few minutes, and then being struck by the car. Oh, and the three hours of darkness afterwards."

"Wouldn't that suggest his amnesia is to do with a scarring event, not the physical trauma?"

"Yes, it would Katie. But we've used every possible technique in the book and Mr Doe still doesn't remember a thing. Now, onto the next patient…"

Dr Thurston and her group of students left the room. The patient smiled at them all as they left, and one of the girls gave a little wave.

"John Doe, why didn't I think of that? I've been calling you 'dark haired amnesiac patient' for 2 months." Caitlin laughed.

"What does it mean?"

"John Doe? It's just what we call someone we can't identify. What were you saying before Dr Thurston came in?"

"Oh, I was going to say I could just make an identity. It's been so long and nothing's shown up, what would the harm be?"

"I suppose it would be possible. It would be a lot of work. What would your name be then?"

"Lucas."

"What about a last name?"

"Doe seems nice enough, am I allowed that?" Caitlin smirked and nodded. Lucas smiled back at her.

"Well then Mr Doe, give me a moment to contact a senior doctor for you."

Lucas and Caitlin smiled at each other for a moment before she left the room. He smiled to himself as he picked up the book and continued to read.

_Lucas Doe. It's a start._


	3. Chapter 2: The Office

**a/n: Just a quick note about a review I got for last chapter. The students were med students, so they are adults. I may go back and edit that chapter so it's clear.**

* * *

It only took Lucas Doe until February to make a life for himself. He had a comfy job at a company whose aim was to improve the public image of those that hired them. They mostly worked with basically corrupt businessmen, but the sudden influx of 'superheroes' had also proven to be a brilliant source of customers. Lucas didn't have any particularly challenging or well-paying clients at the moment, all low level businessmen with a few issues with ex-girlfriends, but today he was hoping to change that. He stood in his office making sure his hair, which since leaving the hospital had been cut to a short but style-able length, was nicely combed. He pulled open a drawer and looked at the many coloured ties he could choose. As he pulled a nice teal coloured tie around his neck two hands slid up his chest and started to tie it. Badly.

"I thought we talked about this." Lucas said. The smiling face of his closest and only friend peeked over his shoulder. Nate Maycock and Lucas had met when both applying for the company despite not having any experience or education in that area. The difference being that Nate was the son of an extremely wealthy man who had cut him off upon finding out his sexual preference, rather than an amnesiac who had no identity. Nate was almost as tall as Lucas but a little bulkier, having gone to the gym more often. Outside a conference room he was a ray of sunshine, his blonde hair contributing to the effect. When doing business, he was incredibly ruthless and had somehow elbowed himself and his best friend not only into the company, but into very powerful positions. However he did often state Lucas' natural charm made it easy.

"Yes well you've been to the gym lately." Nate ran his hands over Lucas' chest. Lucas jumped forward and out of Nate's arms.

"Your boyfriend will get annoyed." Lucas stared intensely into the mirror, straightening the tie himself. Nate laughed and leant on the desk.

"Well, that might change."

"My sexual orientation won't….wait, what?" Lucas spun round. "I thought you were happy with…" he trailed off. He never paid attention when Nate talked about his love life. It made him feel too lonely.

"Max." Lucas nodded, trying to place the name. After a while Nate helped him. "Your height, red hair, Scottish accent that makes me want to melt every time I hear it?"

"Oh, right…yes." Lucas said. The name slotted next to the face of the guy he'd occasionally seen dropping off Nate's lunch and once or twice at parties. "I though you two were happy together?"

"We are. I just don't want to call him my boyfriend anymore. I want to call him my husband." Nate smiled. Lucas took a second to process what he had just been told.

"Wow…wow that's brilliant!" Lucas and Nate hugged. "When are you going to do it?"

"Tonight, there's a small party at ours. I've invited some of each of our families; it's going to be a total surprise for him!"

"That's amazing, I'll be sure to stop by after the meeting. It should be done about 6:30, so I'll be there at 6:45 with a bottle of whiskey." He consulted his watch to confirm.

"Sounds like a plan." Nate patted Lucas on the back and headed to the door. "Good luck, hope you get 'em." Lucas smiled and looked back to the mirror one last time, confirming his self-confidence, before leaving the office.

He arrived at the restaurant where the meeting was taking place at 5:25, exactly 5 minutes before the others were due to arrive. He went inside to check the table. The waitress smiled at him as he asked, and nodded cheerfully. Lucas turned around to wait for the representatives he was meeting; he could still feel the girl's eyes slowly moving up and down his body. Just as he was about to ask her to stop a man and woman arrived. The man was quite clearly built for power and intimidation. He had a few scars on his face from an accident of some kind. The woman had red hair and walked with a fierce determination. The famous Pepper Potts.

"Lucas Doe?" she asked as she approached. Her voice was kinder than her appearance suggested.

"Yes, our table is just over here Miss Potts." He gestured to where the waitress has not 2 minutes before. The waitress stepped out and led them formally to the table. When all three of them were seated, Lucas saw fit to address the third member of their party. "Who is your friend here, I was told it would just be us?"

"This is Happy, he's head of security. After a recent business meeting he's been a bit…suspicious."

"Understandable." Lucas looked down at the menu and briefly up at Happy. Happy had his hand firmly over his own menu and was staring at Lucas very threateningly. The waitress approached and asked for their drink orders.

"Water please" Pepper said, smiling at the waitress. Happy nodded in agreement. Lucas nodded as well. The waitress gave him an extra-long smile before leaving. They made polite conversation about the weather and recent events until their drinks arrived, and then they ordered. Lucas ordered what he usually did at business meetings, a 12oz medium rare steak with salad. Happy seemed to take this as a challenge and ordered a 16oz blue rare. Yet he also ordered it with salad. Pepper ordered a simple chicken salad. Again the waitress smiled at Lucas far too long before she left.

"I have to say I'm a little disappointed I'm not in a meeting with Mr Stark himself. But I suppose as head of the company it makes sense that you are here." Lucas said, not wanting to start business talk until the food had arrived.

"Are you a fan of Stark, Mr Doe? Or are you just uncomfortable meeting with a female CEO?"

"Oh a fan. His turnaround from a weapons supplier to a superhero is one of the most inspiring things I've read about him."

"Read? You say that like you didn't experience it?" Pepper was staring at him strangely. This was normally where he lost clients.

"I was hit by a taxi last July, lost my memory. Doctors say it's most likely gone for good. Of course I think this makes me more objective as an employee, I'm not swayed by whatever may have been done to me. Some clients think it makes me unreliable." Lucas watched nervously as Pepper sat back, processing this information.

"Have you suffered any memory loss since?"

"I'm in perfect working order. Healthy 20-30 year old male."

Just then their food arrived, which was the cue for the proper business talk to begin.

* * *

At 6:15 Pepper Potts told Lucas Doe she liked what he had to offer.

At 6:20 she made a brief phone call, not leaving the table.

At 6:22 she retrieved some papers from her briefcase.

At 6:28, 2 minutes earlier than what he had estimated, Lucas Doe was officially hired by Stark Industries.


End file.
